The Kennel Murder Case — S.S. Van Dine

A classic mystery featuring dogged detective Philo Vance. “An intricate puzzle . . . [Vance] has an uncanny insight into the subtler aspects of crime.” -- The New York Times

Given all the rich people getting bumped off in Philo Vance's Manhattan, it's amazing there are enough left to support the symphony. Latest up: Arthur Coe, found dead in his own locked bedroom. Suicide? The ever-perceptive Philo doesn't buy that theory for a second. The presence in Coe's house of a strange, prize-winning terrier only adds to the mystery, although Philo's fabulously in-depth knowledge of dogs does not in fact solve the crime; his fabulously in-depth knowledge of the murder of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria in 1898 proves much more useful.

Like most of the Philo Vance novels, Kennel was made into a movie, directed this time by Michael Curtiz, who a few years later would turn his hand to a little number known as Casablanca. At least one critic has called the film a “masterpiece,” and though we make no similar claim for the book, GoodMysteries.com, dedicated to the art of the classic whodunit, calls Kennel “one of the best locked-room setups ever written.”

Praise for the Philo Vance series

“With his highbrow manner and his parade of encyclopedic learning, Philo Vance is not only a detective; he is a god out of the machine.” -- The New York Times

“Well-crafted puzzlers that captivated readers . . . the works of S.S. Van Dine serve to transport the reader back to a long-gone era of society and style of writing.” -- Mystery Scene

“Outrageous cleverness . . . among the finest fruits of the Golden Age.” -- Bloody Murder